Multifunction Line for Packaging Inventor 

All that's necessary is to present the same beverage with a different look and consumers will put it in their carts, who otherwise would have rushed past. The Paulaner brewery group in Munich has taken this fact to heart and now packages their brands in containers that ensure target-group oriented orchestration. As this way of addressing the customer will continue to grow in importance, the corresponding section of the machine pool was modernized in the spring of 2007. And the solution to this problem is provided by Schubert of Crailsheim, Germany, because the TLM technology employed allows virtually unlimited packaging possibilities.  

The brewery group has offered an increasingly differentiated range of containers for several years now. In addition to the classic plastic crates, modular crates and center-sleeve crates are also used at the production plant in Munich for the containers of their various brands and types of beer. A center-sleeve crate contains four clusters of six bottles open on the sides. These six-packs are available in a cardboard tray as a shelf-ready product for retailers. The cluster pack of twelve bottles offers an attention-getting decorating surface. Two of these packs can in turn be placed on a cardboard tray. And the cardboard basket (truck-loader) with six bottles is reminiscent of a container from the first half of the 20th century.  

There were various reasons for rethinking the system technology in this section of production. An investment had to be made anyway, as the machines required an increasing amount of maintenance. But the decision-makers found that just replacing old with new wasn't enough. 

When producing and filling the containers, technical and structural bottlenecks came to light with increasing frequency. The output of the various machines to the filler differed considerably. That led to synchronization problems and reduced the overall efficiency, as it was seldom possible to run the line at full capacity. Dependency on the carton blank suppliers resulted, because the machines were "everything from one source" solutions. This not only restricted the Purchasing Department's room to maneuver when negotiating prices. It also affects design when it's not possible to select the optimum material for a packaging idea at the best conditions on the market.  

But what was lacking the most, were the line-related options for processing various packaging sizes and different packing patterns. Seven machines from six manufacturers were required for manufacturing or filling the various containers, however there was no flexibility for packaging.  

But is was clear that the need in this regard will continue to grow. As a result, the group looked for a solution that not only provided for a short-term increase in efficiency by taking the current parameters into account. The new line was to offer an extremely high "level of freedom" in order to continue to meet the requirements in the future.  

Uwe Daebel, Chief Department Head for Filling and Packaging Technology at Paulaner, invited five suppliers to present their concept for this task. In the end Schubert was chosen, because the TLM technology from Crailsheim enables the required performance data and at the same time puts no limits on the wealth of ideas from Sales and Marketing. And a lot can be expected here, as the people at Paulaner are, as Daebel explains, extremely "good at inventing packages". The first new products for 2008 have already been approved.  

Another problem solved by the TLM line is the lack of space available in Production. Now everything required for producing and filling containers fits in an area of 82 ft (25 m). The bottles or cans run into the line on four tracks in two grouping chains, are removed from the grouping chains by a pair of robots and are then placed on a conveyor chain. Depending on the type and brand of beer, bottles with a content of 0.33, 0.355 or 0.5 lt. in various shapes with bottle caps are in use. There are disposable and deposit bottles and 0.5 lt. cans. 

Another pair of robots removes the containers from the conveyor chain and places them on a grouping table. This grouping table groups the bottles in the respective packaging pattern. A third pair of robots then picks up the bottles or cans from the grouping table and places them in the previously erected sales or outer packaging.  

Depending on the program used, the blanks of the six-pack sleeve, of the carton for the full wrapper or for the basket are automatically removed from a magazine and erected. TLM-F2 robots place the cartons on vacuum conveyors which enable the open cartons to be moved precisely into the filling position.  After the bottles have been inserted, the cartons are closed. 

If further packaging in trays or center-sleeve crates is chosen, this is carried out in the rear section of the line. For this purpose, the trays are erected from a blank and the plastic crates come from the upstream machine. 

Before the carton packages are discharged, a corresponding marking is applied by a printer. If the trays are finally to be wrapped in shrink-wrap film, then they are transferred to a downstream shrink-wrapping machine. Regardless of whether they are grouped in a case or  disposable container, products are palletized on Euro or industrial pallets. 

The key to the flexibility of TLM technology is the VMS controller from Schubert, which enables the tasks to be solved not just with the mechanical system, but instead mainly with the software. The conversion of the line to new bottle shapes, packaging types or packing patterns is easily carried out by entering new parameters and replacing size tools. Various tools for equipping the robots provide for the necessary "reliable grip". 

The packaging line from Schubert is integrated in the line management system of the entire line. Integration is carried out with optical buses. The central unit for the control, monitoring and documentation of the processes acts as a "virtual employee", who keeps an eye on all steps from filling to palletizing, reports faults and gives the correct instructions, e.g. which label with which minimum expiration date is to be applied for the current lot. 

The new TLM packaging line went into operation in the spring of 2007, at the time of the "Starkbier" (strong dark beer) festival. The fact that this was a special order was demonstrated very clearly again to Matthias Koch, who headed the project at Schubert, on this occasion. Monks from the "Order of the Minims" from Southern Italy were present for the start-up of the packaging line. As is so often the case with traditional European breweries, the origins of Paulaner lie namely in a local community of monks. And as this connection still exists today, a priest of the order blessed the line. 

The packaging line operates in three shifts, six days a week. Up to 46,000 bottles must be processed per hour. The experience gained in almost a year of operation shows that the Schubert line fulfills the high performance standard. It is also important for the efficiency of the entire line that the targeted values are also achieved with small packaging units. For Paulaner as a brand-name manufacturer, the appearance of its packaging is important, and Schubert has also proven quality here: the packaging is exactly folded and glued, and the products are handled gently. Every first package after a size change is already a sales package. Following initial hesitation on the part of the operating personnel, the employees are now happy to be assigned to the machine. When understood properly, robot technology isn't complicated, but is instead particularly easy for the user to understand and use.  

CEO Michael Doetsch is also happy to have decided in favor of the TLM packaging line. He praises the short lines of decision at Schubert and above all the great willingness to take action and the expertise of the mechanics Thomas Köhnlein, Jochen Kühnle and Andreas Rosenäcker. "We've gained long-term packaging freedom in considerably less space. And that makes us excellently equipped for future market requirements."